A Rainbow for a Rose
by PersephoneRose13
Summary: Yume Nijino is the new leader of the Sailor Senshi and is entrusted with the Rainbow Crystal, but what will happen when her world collides with that of Team Urameshi?
1. Chapter 1

****Hello Everyone! This is the first story I've written in a long time and the first time I've posted my writing anywhere, so please be gentle (I promise that I will get better in time). Any criticism, complements, or general comments are welcome. Also, I am mixing elements from the anime and the live action versions of Sailor Moon. ****

I sat in class, trying to urge time to go faster. Today was the day I was to join the Sailor Guardians and I couldn't wait. _Just five more minutes. Five minutes more_ , I sang in my head.

"Miss Nijino" a faraway voice called to me. "YUME!" the voice pulled me from my head. Takata-sensei was standing in front of my desk, her beady little eyes staring straight at me. "This is the fifth time this week that you've decided something was more important than my class." Out of the corner of my eye, I see the clock is about to hit 3pm; ending the school day. I tap my fingers on my desk, hoping to distract her long enough for the bell to chime. "Miss Nijino," Takata-sensei spoke, trying to keep her voice level. "When you are in my class, I demand your full attention. If you do nothing but daydream, how do you expect to pass your high school entrance exams?" I smirk and decide to rile her up some more. "But Takata-sensei," I said, my voice full of snark and sarcasm. "My name does mean dream, what else would you expect me to do?" Takata-sensei's face glows red with pent up anger and she clenches her hands into fists. The bell rings before she can say anything more or give me cleaning duty. I grab my bag and dash out the door, nearly knocking into some first years.

 _I'm free, finally free!_ I quickly change into street shoes and fly through the front gate, my signature braid flying out behind me. I had to get to the Karaoke Crown to meet with the others.

My name is Yume Nijino and I am 14 years old. Contrary to the belief held by Takata-sensei, I am normally a good student; or at least I'm better than my cousin, Usagi Tsukino, was. But today, my studies really didn't matter to me, all that was important was becoming the new leader for the Sailor Guardians. How important would studies be if the world got taken over by evil?

I hurried along the sidewalk on my way to the Karaoke Crown, easily dodging the clumps of people. _It must be coupon day; there usually isn't that many people around this area._ The automatic doors slid open to a lobby filled to the brim with groups of teenage girls. I started pushing my way to the front of the line, mumbling "excuse me" and "pardon me" as I went. No one really noticed me as they were all too busy being annoyed at having to wait for a room to open up.

"Hi Motoki," I spoke cheerfully to the boy running the counter. "I believe we have a reserved room?" I pulled out my special Karaoke Crown Passport to show my membership. "Hey Yume! Yeah, some of your party already arrived. How you managed to get a room booked on a day like this is beyond me," Motoki gestured to all of the others before eyeing me suspiciously (as well he should). The whole team of Sailor Guardians had our special secret meeting room in here, right under his nose. "Uh…yeah, How 'bout that?" I tried to laugh it off. "Well, Thanks!" I dashed down the hallway, where a door suddenly appeared as I approached. I slipped in quickly and made the door disappear behind me.

Entering the room, I found it to be empty except for Usagi, Mamoru, and Luna. I threw my arms around Usagi, whose belly had grown to be the size of a small watermelon. She and Mamoru were expecting their first child together and that's why I was here today; I was being initiated as the new leader of the Sailor Guardians until Chibi-usa was old enough to manage for herself.

"Oh Yume, you grow up so fast." Usagi wept. "It seems like just yesterday that we started training you. And now look at you!" She started crying harder. "Now, now Usako. It'll all be okay" Mamoru hugged his wife awkwardly, not knowing how to handle an Usagi that was even more emotional than usual. Usagi hiccupped and called for Luna. "It's time," she said, her voice still shaky from the tears.

Luna hopped up onto the table and looked me straight in the eyes, her stare penetrating my own. "Are you ready for this Yume?" I gulped and tried to keep myself composed. _No, well, I thought I was ready._ I just settled for a nod instead. "Alright. Take this." Luna jumped in the air and flipped, making a heart-shaped locket appear. My eyes grew wide in wonder. "It's beautiful," I whispered, holding the necklace like it was an ancient artifact. I placed the delicate necklace around my neck and looked back to Luna. "Your transformation necklace contains the Rainbow Crystal. It's what gives you your powers as Sailor Sparkle. Don't lose it! Now, for you to transform, all you have to say is 'Sparkle power Make-up!' got it?"

I'm about to try it out, when all of a sudden, the room starts spinning. I immediately shut my eyes and don't open them until I feel my body falling.


	2. Chapter 2

****Congratulations on making it this far! It should pick up after this chapter, but I had to get the pre-meeting stuff out of the way first. I apologize for my lack of Team Urameshi so far.****

I open my eyes an immediately regret it. I blink a couple of times to make sure I wasn't imagining things, but yes, I was plummeting towards the ocean in a complete free fall. Was I freaking out?

You bet your ass I am.

I swallow to prevent the scream that was building up from escaping from my lips. I had to think quick. My mind was running a mile a minute. Even with that, my brain took the time to observe everything: the clear blue sky, the ocean below with fish and other creatures in it, and land. My mind was trying to come to peace with what was happening when something flew up and hit me. _My transformation necklace!_ My eyes sparkled with tears. _I know I've seen it in a movie before; the hero transforms so the impact isn't deadly. So, this necklace is my only hope. Please work!_ "Let's do this thing!" I yell, trying to hear myself over the sound of the wind whipping past my ears. I was about 1,000 feet above the water at this point. "Sparkle Power MAKE-UP!"

Colors swirled around me, ribbons extended from my necklace to embrace my body and my plum-colored hair started to braid itself when I smacked into the water. The colors and ribbons dissipated into the blue-green of the sea. My breath was knocked out of me and I kicked as hard as I could to breach the surface.

Air surged into my lungs as I made it to the top of the water just in time. I wiggled different parts of my body to check the damage. I was okay, just out of breath and really sore; nothing seemed broken. _Thank goodness. I could have been hurt a lot worse than I am if I hadn't transformed in time. Thanks movies!_ I floated on my back for a while to give me time to regain some of my lost breath and energy. A thought kept nudging itself into my time of peace. _You need to find dry land and get out of the water. There could be jellyfish or sharks out here._

I sigh and start looking around me to find where the nearest piece of land is. It takes me a few minutes, but I spot land about 5 miles away and began to swim towards it. I alternate between actually swimming and just floating to try and save energy, but soon I'm spent. My eyes start to get heavy as do my limbs; my body just doesn't want to go any farther. I push and push until I have no energy left. After that, I just float.

 _Please, let me get to land safely._

Soon enough, I reach the shore. I hull myself out of the waves, just enough to not get pulled back into the ocean and I pass out.

 _-I don't remember dreaming about anything in particular. I don't remember much of anything at all; some voices, some movement, some pain. I don't know where I am.-_


	3. Chapter 3

I yawned and stretch, resisting the urge to open my eyes. _Five more minutes, then I will get up._ I snuggled more into the fluffy blanket that surrounded me. A minute went by before it occurred to me. _Wait, fuzzy blanket?_

My eyes flew wide and I shot straight up, knocking into something with my head. "OW!" He yelled. "How do you manage to have a head that hard!"

Whoops, make that someone.

I nursed the spot on my head that had connected with the other person and start blinking, trying to getting rid of a bunch of scratchy grains of sand that had cemented themselves on my eyelashes. "Quiet down you dimwit," a second voice called out from the other room. "Let Yume sleep." The voice near me grumbled back, "That's kind of hard to do when she's already awake."

I was finally able to start to focus on things, my eyes landed on the boy in front of me. He looked to be about my age with greenish-black hair and big eyes, wearing a ripped white muscle shirt and jeans. I didn't sense any evil in him, _maybe that's why I didn't wake up before._ The room around me was that of a traditional Japanese-style home; tatami flooring, paper screens for walls and the pallet on which I had been laying on.

"How long was I out," I asked the boy, my voice horse and crackling from lack of use. "About 3 days." He was watching me carefully. "What?" I jumped up and tried yelling, but started coughing instead. "Yume, stop and lay down. Now," the voice from the other room commanded. It seemed familiar somehow. Even without them being in the room, I knew I had better listen.

I started to get this nagging feeling, but I pushed it aside as I sat back down on the pallet and glared at the boy. "Alright, so if I've been out for three days, how did I manage to end up here?" "I will answer that question," the door slid open to reveal someone I knew very well. "Grams," I smiled, confused. "Wait, is this your place?"

"Hey Genkai! Why can she call you Grams, but if I do, you hit me," The boy turned towards Grams, apparently angry. "Because idiot, she is my granddaughter." She carried a glass of some sort of green goop over and handed it to me. "Drink this, it'll give you back your strength." Taking the glass, I eyed it skeptically, like a four year looking and Brussel sprouts. I took a small sip, the stuff was slimy and chunky. "Uh! What is this, pond scum?" Genkai waited to turn away from me before speaking. "It's best you don't know what's in it until you get it down." I gulped, that's not a good sign. Taking a deep breath I held the glass up. "Cheers," I said downing it as fast as I could. It took all I had to now throw it back up. The boy doubled over laughing, "Ha, you should see your face! It's priceless." I glowered at him. After waiting for my stomach to settle, I spoke. "Do you want to try some," I made my words sound cold and threatening. "I'm sure Grams can get some for you too." The boy immediately paled and stopped laughing at me.

The nagging feeling started to return. _I keep feeling like there is something I'm forgetting, but what is it?_ I shook my head and looked back to Genkai. "So how did I get here? Last I remember I was in the ocean." Genkai launched into the story.

"I was having Yusuke here training at the far building and sent him out for a run down the shore." She pointed at the boy sitting in the corner. "When we were on our way back to the compound, we found you passed out on the shore. You were nearly half dead." I nodded gravely, remembering my fall from the sky. I knew the Sailor suit would protect me some, but there was no way it could be sustained with such low energy. "I was able to heal you some while we were down there, but I got Yusuke to carry you up here, where you have been ever since." I fidgeted nervously with my locket. _My first day on the job and I already couldn't save myself, how will I be able to save the world?_ "Oh, and I gave your cousin a call. Usagi was very worried about you. You should probably visit her when you get back." I jerked my head up to look at Genkai. That's what I had forgotten! "Oh, She's going to kill me." I slapped my forehead; unfortunately it was right where I had bumped into Yusuke. As pain radiated out from the spot, I started working on what I was going to say to her. _Usagi's going to think I pulled a prank or used my abilities irresponsibly. She's not going to let me take over now. I'll be stuck in training forever!_ My thoughts got worse and worse the more I got myself worked up.

I sank to the floor and put my hands on my knees in defeat. "Oh stop it," Genkai snapped. "You'll be fine." Turning to face me and Yusuke, she directed her attention fully on him. "Yusuke, as of today, your training is done. Gather your stuff and go away." Yusuke started jumping for joy. "But," Genkai interrupted his happy dance. "Your last task is to take Yume and carry her on your back all the way down the mountain, to the bus stop. You will escort her back into the city." Grams looked to me. "That should give the fermented demon weed time to work. Call me when you get back, I have questions about how you ended up on my beach."

"I can answer that now." I met her eyes. "I have no clue. I was talking to Luna and suddenly I was falling out of the sky. I didn't do anything!" She shot me a disapproving look, making me feel guilty for trying to challenge her. "I never said you did." With that, she walked out, leaving me standing there and Yusuke to his packing.

An hour later, he was ready. Yusuke had me on his back and his pack was on mine. Genkai came out to see us off. She didn't waive, as it was not her way, but I did. A ghost of a smile crossed her face as we set off down the hill.


	4. Chapter 4

****Hey Readers. I'm sorry that the script was messed up on this chapter twice. It should now be fixed. If anyone knows how to make it stop doing that, feel free to message me. Also, I originally wrote chapters 4 and 5 as one chapter, so if it doesn't seem like it's going anywhere, it does; I promise****

Yusuke plodded down the hill, mumbling under his breath. "Stupid old woman. Can't she give me a break for once?" I kept my eyes focused on Genkai's house, waiting until the top of the temple disappeared. "Put me down." Yusuke stopped and looked at me, confused. "Genkai's not watching anymore, so you don't have to carry me. You wanted a break, didn't you?" I voiced what I had been thinking. His face flushed with embarrassment. "So you heard me, huh?" I wiggled my way out of his grip and nodded. Yusuke looked off to the side and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry, I've got nothing against you. It's just the old bat has had be training non-stop for six months." "I get it," I interrupt gently. "I've been through training as well, just not with Genkai, but I can imagine you probably want nothing more than to get back to your loved ones. How did you come to train with Genkai?" Yusuke just shrugged it off, even more embarrassed than before, "Nah, I just don't want to have to work anymore! Video games and wrestling here I come!" We set off again down the hill to the bus stop.

By the time we reached the bottom of the hill, I was practically bouncing with energy. The bus wouldn't arrive for thirty more minutes, so I decided to occupy myself by pestering Yusuke with questions. I learned that the only friend he had was a girl and a rival and he got in trouble a lot at school, when he actually went. I walked up and down a bench like a balance beam while I told Yusuke about myself. "I go to Juuban Jr. High. I've got a few friends my own age, but I mostly stick with my cousin and her group of friends. It's easier that way; since I live with Usagi and her husband. I hope to be able to help the world someday." I looked up at the clear blue sky and sighed. "I know it sounds silly, but I enjoy helping people, call it a hobby." We chatted and asked questions back and forth until the bus pulled into the station.

On the bus, Yusuke lounged back and took a nap. With no one to talk to, I turned to the window to watch the world go by. I was startled by my own reflection; my plum-colored hair hung limp and was mostly out of its braid, there were bags underneath my deep gray eyes, my skin was bright pink from laying in the sun for hours, and I had scratches and bruises lining my arms and legs. I frowned and let my hair loose before sitting back. _I couldn't even transform correctly; how am I going to manage saving the world?_ _Can I live up to the legacy of Sailor Moon and the Sailor Senshi? I sure hope I can._ _And who would transport me like that?_

A sharp pain in my side pulls me from my thoughts. I turned to look at Yusuke. "Why so serious?" He asked fully awake and paying attention. _Lie Yume. He can't know what you are really thinking about._ I shrugged my shoulders, "It's nothing really. I'm not looking forward to returning to school when I get back." "Why do you care so much? School isn't something to get stressed over." He seemed genuinely confused. "For you maybe," I look at my hands. "My cousin was a slacker when she was in school, so everyone expects me to be the same. So, I have to work extra hard to exceed expectations. I will not be seen as lazy or anything bad." Yusuke laughed. "That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!" He got serious really fast before continuing. "You can't be anything other than what you are. Don't let other people dictate what you do." His words of wisdom make me smile. I playfully punched his shoulder. "Hey, what was that for?" "You act like this tough guy, but on the inside you're a marshmallow." We poked and teased until we got to our junction.

"Thank you for walking with me this far," I bowed, but he waived me off. "It's nothing. Really. So I guess I'll see you around." He took off down the street. A minute later I heard a loud voice yell, "Yusuke!" I smiled to myself. _Just a friend my ass;_ _She is so his girlfriend, no matter what he says._ I turned in the opposite direction and headed towards home.

"I'm home!" I yell, coming in the door. Usagi rushed out and hugged me, nearly suffocating me in the process. "Oh Yume! We were so worried!" She cried. I worm my way out of her grasp and said, "I'm sorry I worried you, but I'm fine. Grams found me and took care of me. I thought she had called you." "She did," Mamoru chimed in from the kitchen. "That doesn't stop us from worrying. Welcome home. Dinner will be ready in an hour." "Okay! I'm going to take a shower and change, but then I'll come down and help you!" Usagi let out a horrified gasp. "What happened to your uniform; it's ruined!" I chuckle nervously, "Yeah, uniforms typically aren't made to withstand transportation and floating in the ocean for prolonged periods of time." Usagi shook her head. "We'll deal with it later. Just go get changed."

After my shower, I changed into a loose tunic and some tights before coming down to help Mamoru with dinner. I pick up a knife and start chopping some veggies for a salad. After taking a deep breath, Mamoru starts a conversation with me.

"How's school?"

"It's fine."

"Oh? Are you sure it's going alright?"

"Yeah? Why?"

"We got a call from your teacher yesterday."

I stopped chopping and set down my knife. Looking at Mamoru, I asked, "Oh? And what was that about?" "She said you have been not paying attention and have been really disrespectful towards her." I started chopping again, hanging my head from guilt. _I should have known it would catch up with me eventually._ "Yeah, I was pretty rude on Friday, but she deserved it!" I started getting defensive. "She was rude to me first. She said I hadn't been paying attention all week, which isn't true. Friday really was the only day I was out of it, but can you really blame me? I know what I did was wrong and I will apologize, but she was being unreasonable too." I looked up to see Mamoru throwing me a look that said 'I'm very disappointed in you.' I look away again; nothing is worse than making Mamoru disappointed. _They've done so much for me. They've taken me in after mom died and this is how I repay them, by sending them more problems._ "I'm sorry Mamoru," my voice barely above a whisper. "I'll try and do better." "No more getting in trouble?" he bargained with me. I nodded and worked more on dinner.

Soon enough, dinner was done and I started placing all the dishes on the table when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it" Usagi ran to get the door. There was a few minutes of low voices before Usagi let out and excited yell. "Ah! Yume!" she sprinted into the kitchen, holding a letter. "Guess what?" I cocked my head to the side in confusion. "You've won a scholarship!" She hopped with excitement. "Really? Which school?" I raced to be beside Usagi and to see the letter. I was still confused. _When did I apply for a scholarship?_ She held the letter to her chest and danced around the room. "Imagine! My own cousin getting in to Meiou! And on a full scholarship too!" My face lit up with happiness and we hug while Mamoru watched us, laughing at our excitement. "That's great Yume!" He said, giving me a hug. "Wait," I stop dancing. "Meiou is on the other side of town. How will I commute? What about my uniform?" I start listing off potential problems that could pop up from this. "Yume," Mamoru took me by the shoulders. "It will all be fine. We have time to figure this out." "Yeah, it says you don't fully start until next week. This week is just for getting your records transferred, getting your uniform, and I quote, 'Getting acquainted with the wonderful opportunities that Meiou can offer you'." They both smiled at me. "We'll make it work," Usagi whispered gently to me.


	5. Chapter 5

A couple hours later, I was preparing up in my room. It was my first night on patrol and I was not going to screw it up. I fiddled with my necklace and look in the mirror. "You can do this," I whisper to myself. The clock on my bedside table blinked 10:00pm. _It's time._

As quietly as I could manage, I slid my window open, letting in the cool spring air. Most of the city was asleep except for the nightclub district, but the streetlights glimmered and some of the neighbors had their bedroom lights on. I slipped out the window and let myself drop carefully to the ground below. I walked a few blocks before ducking into an alley.

"Sparkle Power Make-up!" I yelled, waiving my hand over my necklace to activate the transformation. Rainbow lights danced around me as I was wrapped with ribbons. The ribbons formed a basic white leotard, a golden yellow skirt and collar, light orange bows on my chest and back, elbow-length white gloves trimmed with matching light orange bands, golden boots, tiara, choker, and communicator bracelet. I blinked and the transformation completed. I did a leap of joy and excitement and began my patrol of the city.

For a while all was quiet. I wondered around the city for a while, sticking to the shadows and keeping a lookout for suspicious people, until I heard a scream split the peaceful night. I ran in the direction of the scream and stumbled upon an unconscious young girl about to be feasted upon by some sort of bat creature. "Hey you!" I yelled. My sailor speech began to flow naturally from my lips. "I am the Sailor Senshi of Bright and Shiny things! In the name of the light, I will make things right! And that means taking care of you." I pointed at the bat creature. It turned its attention on me, its gaze filled with hunger and blood-lust. The bat creature started approaching me, step by slow step. I swayed slightly, trying to make myself a more attractive target than the girl. "Mmm. Little girls are tasty, but two girls are better to fill up on than one, me thinks." The bat creature leered at me. When it got close enough, it lunged, trying to swipe at my stomach. I dodged, sidestepping each swipe. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size. Oh wait, you can't; you'd rather go after little kids instead." I taunt. When I got an opening, I grabbed its arm and swung it around. With the bat creature's back to me, I kicked it, send it flying several feet from me.

"Time to end this," I said, extending my arms out in front of me. "Shimmering Mirage," I yell, making orange energy waves radiate from my hands. The waves hit the bat creature, causing it to howl in pain and shatter into dust. As soon as I'm sure that is the end of that creature, I ran over to the little girl. She was still breathing and there was no sign of any other injuries. _She must have been so scared that she passed out, poor thing._ I checked her coat for an ID card and lifted her onto my back. Together, we set off to take her back home.

We're almost there when she woke up. She started to whimper so I swung her around to be on my hip. "Hey there Kisa," I whispered gently, recalling her name from her ID card. "My name is Sailor Sparkle and I'm here to help you. You were attacked, but you're okay now. We're almost home." She looked around and her face lit up as she recognized her own neighborhood. I smiled at her and put her down. Kisa took my hand and we walk the rest of the way to her house. She's a bright and cheerful child; a talkative one too. She told me all about her elementary school, her house and her parents, until we got to her door step.

"You should come inside! I want you to be my sister!" She said, her smile going from ear to ear. I knelt down and smiled. "I wish I could sweetie, but you've already got a family of your own." I tried to be as gentle as I could. She suddenly got very serious for a kid and took a step back. "Thank you for saving me, Sailor Sparkle." She bowed. I bowed back out of habit. "Be a good girl now, Kisa." I knocked on her door and waited until I heard footsteps inside before dashing off. From the safety of a nearby rooftop, I watched Kisa's mother answer the door. She hugged and kissed Kisa tight. Kisa turned around and yelled, "Goodnight Sailor Sparkle! Thank you for helping me!" before going inside with her mother. I couldn't help but smile and feel touched. _I really can do good._


	6. Chapter 6

Three days passed by in a flurry as I did my patrols, got taken out of Juuban and was introduced to Meiou. I got a tour of my new school, was given my new uniform and a packet of paperwork to fill out.

I sat in the Karaoke room filling out that packet of paper by myself; all the other girls had regular jobs they had to be at. I had been at it for several hours by this point and was bored and easily distracted. I tapped my pencil on the table, thinking about things other than what was on the applications.

The sound of the pitter-patter of little paws shook me out of my daydreaming. "Luna?" I ask. She jumps onto the other side of the table. "Have you learned any more about that bat creature? And is there any information on why I just disappeared like that the other day?" The first day I became a guardian, something or someone transported me out of the room; that was over a week ago now. "I haven't found anything new," Luna apologized. "And unfortunately, Ami has been super busy at the hospital and hasn't had a chance to look into either mystery." I bite my lip. _We need to find something out soon; what if it happens again?_ Luna touches her paw to my hand in a loving gesture. She smiled at me before going over to the main computer to begin her own work. What she did on the computer all day, I would never know.

A few hours later, the monster alert began to blare. I rush over to Luna and the computer to see what the alert said. "Our sensors are picking up weird energy coming from the Sarayashiki neighborhood." The computer pulled up pictures of a weird bug with warning messages filling the screen. "This says they are from an area of Makai." I point to a message on the screen. "This one says they are," Luna reads from another message. "Taking over humans! Yume, you have to find a way to take them out and quickly! I'll contact the others and send them to you." I nod and transform.

I kept in contact with Luna as I jumped from roof to roof to avoid the normal people walking below. We formed a plan: the others would put up a barrier around the infected area while I healed those infected.

The closer I got, the more insects I saw. I summoned my Sun Wand and continued to beat those that I could see around me. I made it to the Junior High School before hearing the screaming start. I raced towards the screams; straight into the school.

I reached the second floor to find two girls running toward me. One girl had a bleeding wound on her upper arm. I look past them to see a group of adults, all with blank eyes, angry faces, and strangely colored skin. "Get behind me!" I yell, running towards the mob. They both grab me and force me to go in the direction they were heading. "Not a chance," said the girl with brown hair. The girl with blue hair joined in her chiding of me, "They are brutal. We've got to stay away from them."

Farther down the hallway, I spot an open door. Shoving them inside, I keep running down. "Hey!" I yell, jumping up and down. I wanted to get everyone in the group to face me so that the force of my healing power would be at its strongest. They kept going after the door where I had shoved the two girls into. They break in and I can hear the leader of the mob taunting the girl. "Yukimura. I always knew you weren't as smart as you made us think. Hid yourself well didn't you? Except for one thing; your scarf." I crept closer, planning on surprising them from behind. Before I could get close enough, I heard a crash. "No!" I cry out, finally rushing forward.

I breath a quick sigh of relief as the two girls run out of the room. "This way!" this time I grab them and we run down the hall. They fill me in on what happened in the room. The mob had attacked the broom closet where they thought the girls were hiding. "We tricked them and then hit them." The blue-haired girl finished. "They are after Keiko here, so we knew they would fall for anything; no matter how obvious it was." _Keiko? Is this Yusuke's girlfriend? Small world._ I shook my head and focused on running, just in time to see the blue haired girl get hit in the face with a tire iron.

I got my wish. We were surrounded and they were all facing me. Keiko started screaming and yelled out Yusuke's name as the mod lunged towards us. I took the opportunity to try healing them. I hold up my wand and yell, "Glimmer Healing Wave!" The sun on top of my want glows and begins to distribute waves of glittery energy. The energy floats over all the possessed humans, returning them to normal.

I sink to the floor in exhaustion and momentary relief. I look over and see that Keiko and the other girl were also healed by my wand. "Thank goodness." I say out loud. "Oh! Thank you for your help. I'm Keiko Yukimura and this is Botan. Who are you?" She eyed my Sailor uniform almost disdainfully. "I've never seen a school uniform like that before." I crack a smile and start laughing. "I would be a little surprised if you had. It's not a school uniform and you can just call me Sailor Sparkle." I hopped up from my spot on the floor. "You wait here, I'll be right back."

I climb the stairs to the roof and see the Sailor barrier surrounding the area. I hold my wand above my head and shout, "Glimmer Healing Wave" putting all my energy into extending the healing to the others that were in the effected area. "Thanks guys. I think we are done for now." I speak into my communicator. I see as one by one the sections of the barrier comes down and I know they got my message.

I go back downstairs to find Keiko fussing over Botan. "You have to go to the hospital! You were hit on the head really hard!" Every bit of her being was conveying how concerned she was. Botan was about to argue back when I chimed in. "I'll take her. How about you head home and check on your family Keiko?" She internally fought with herself about letting me, a complete stranger, take Botan out of her sight. _Please, go with it._ "I will make sure she gets where she needs to; you have my word as a protector of this city." I pulled my ultimate trump card. Keiko finally caved but pointed her finger at Botan. "Before I go, you have to tell me what is going on with Yusuke. You promised." Botan got really uncomfortable and stumbled over her own words. "You see Keiko, Yusuke is...Um..he's joined a detective agency! That's it! He got an internship as part of a program for Juvenile delinquents. He follows around a more experienced detective and gets to go on cases with him." I raised my eyebrow at this. Yusuke would probably not be training with Genkai if he was just a regular detective, but I bit my tongue.

Keiko bought Botan's explanation and left us after lecturing us to be safe on our way to the hospital. We waived as she rounded the corner. As soon as she was gone, I turned to Botan. "You're good to go. No hospital is needed unless you really want a check-up." "Hey Botan," A high-pitched male voice called out. "Yusuke was successful. He destroyed the whistle." A toddler appeared out of thin air. I took a step back, surprised. I had seen some weird things in my life, but never a talking toddler. He stopped talking as soon as he saw me. "Botan!" He yelled. "Why didn't you warn me there was someone around!" "I didn't have time to sir," She stated. That was when he noticed my uniform. "Oh my. You're a Sailor Guardian aren't you?" He said in wonder. "I know the team, but I've never seen you before." I blushed. "I'm new. My name is Sailor Sparkle. I'm the Sailor Senshi of bright and shiny things." I felt really dumb saying that to this person I just met. "I am Lord Koenma, Prince of Spirit World." he introduced himself. It was my turn to be in awe. "Grams has talked about you before," I sputter out. "I mean Genkai, you probably know her as Genkai." His mouth drops open. "You're Genkai's granddaughter? You must be Yume then!" He talked at me about Genkai for a while longer, while I stood awkwardly. I didn't know what to say or how to act with the leader of Spirit World.

"Yume, I have a favor to ask of you." Koenma got serious. "I have a new spirit detective, Yusuke Urameshi. I would like it if you teamed up with him and his team." I blinked rapidly. _I am being asked to make a decision. What do I do?_ "I will have to talk to the others about that before I can give you an answer." I willed myself to sound calm and grown-up; contrary to how I was feeling inside. "I'm looking forward to your answer" Koenma bowed and summoned a portal. He bid farewell after handing me a card with his contact information on it. I was left standing in the streets by myself.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, I walked into the Karaoke Crown and flashed my pass at Motoki. "Back again?" He asked, trying to create small talk. "Isn't this the third time this week? Are you having a party today? It isn't every day that I have a group as big as yours in."

I sauntered down the hall, but turn back to give a pained smile. "Something like that." Luna had bewitched him long ago, to keep him docile and so he would never figure out what we were really doing, but I still get nervous anyways.

I walk in to our special room to see all of the inner senshi milling about. I knew by the time on the clock that Mamoru was still at his job, but that wouldn't stop our meeting from progressing.

"We've gotten a request from the leader of Spirit World." I come out and say the purpose of the meeting. "He is requesting that we team up with his team of detectives. And after yesterday? I can kind of see why."

Ami chimed in, "If we have more threats from demons, it could benefit us to find out how to best thwart them."

"Do I need to start a collection of Ofuda for you?" Rei pulled a stack of papers out of her bag, along with a pot of ink and her brush. "The talismans can be useful, but I think that they are like putting a band-aid on a gasping wound; not enough to really help in this case." Minako voices her opinion.

We stare at her for a second and then we all laugh. "Uh Minako?" Makoto is the first to get her breath back enough to speak. "I believe it's **gaping** wound, not gasping." Mina waived her hand about in a dismissive manner. "It's close enough, you get what I mean."

"Snack time girls!" Usagi picked that moment to bring over some snacks. We all eye the tray with suspicion. "You...didn't make these did you Usagi?" Rei asked.

Usagi's lack of cooking skill is legendary. The girls still tell stories about the burnt cookies poor Mamoru was forced to eat while they were dating. Usagi looked from Rei to Ami to Mina, to Makoto to me and back again.

"Well, no." She looked pitiful and like she was going to start crying again. _I thought she had grown out of all this crying._ "I tried! I really did, but they weren't cooked enough, so I put them back in and next thing I knew they were all black. I'm a failure as a wife!"

I gently placed my hand on Usagi's shoulder. "Hey, it's okay. There is more to being a wife than cooking. You contribute in many other ways. Plus, Mamoru hasn't said anything so it's not like it bothers him. He loves you very much." Her face glowed as she is pacified for the moment and she joined us at the round table.

"Back to the discussion at hand." I made my voice as authoritative as I could manage. "What do we do? Do we join them or just stay as we are?"

"I think this is something you are going to have to decide on you own," Ami cast her vote. "You know that since Chibi-Usa is on her way, that means we will all be having daughters of our own soon."

I paled. I hadn't even considered that. We had seen the future. I knew Chibi-Usa would be leading a team of her own some day; team of girls her own age, but I hadn't put it together that they would actually have to come from some where.

"What does this mean?" I ask, my voice small. "What are you guys going to do about being guardians?" The girls all look sympathetic towards me, but it was patronizing.

"It has been quiet lately." Makoto touched my hand. "I think once we know we are pregnant, we step down," Ami went into professional mode. "The stress from fighting would cause too much risk to our lives and that of our daughters."

 _But what about me?_ I knew I was being incredibly selfish, but I didn't know how to handle what seemed to be going on.

"Does that mean I will have to do this alone?" it was my turn to tear up. "Find out why I was transported out of here and who that bat creature is? All on my own?" Usagi came up to hug me. "We'll make it work," Usagi whispered gently. _We'll make it work._ That was the second time this week she had said those words to me. _How? How can this work?_

"We will still be here if you need to talk or need advice," Mina was calm and sweet. "It's not like we're going far away." "And I will still be working on research," Ami spoke up. "This is a much better computer than the one in my office anyways." She smiled, reassuring me.

Even with everyone surrounding me, comforting me; I didn't feel any better. I had plenty of physical training, but no amount of that could help me deal with the blow of losing my whole team. I just stood there, thinking over facts and opinions that I didn't want to. I couldn't ask for any more guidance on this.

"All right." I worked up the courage to make my first real decision as a guardian. "I decide that I will team up with Lord Koenma's team." I studied the black grout that was wedged between the white tiles that made up the floor. "Since I don't know exactly how much longer you all will be able to continue."

I rushed up the stairs and out the door. Motoki caught a glance of me as I ran by. "Hey Yume," He yelled. "You okay?" but I didn't stop.

I wandered around for a while, not paying attention to where I was going. I was more focused on trying to figure out how I was going to handle things from now on. _Meiou is known for their challenging workload, so that is going to take up time. I will now have to do all the patrols, so that will take up my nights unless I have Luna monitor the city from the computer. And I still need to do research on what's been going on._

I broke down and cried for a while. "What am I doing?" I said out loud. "I am being really stupid." I shook my head and wiped my tears before taking a look around me. I was back in the Sarayashiki area of town, near where I was the day before. _Wow, I must have been walking for a while._

I shoved my hands into my pockets in irritation, when suddenly I came across a slip of paper with an address on it. _What is this?_ The memory of the walk back from Genkai's temple surfaced. _Yusuke! He lives in this neighborhood! Maybe this is his? There is no better time for a visit I guess; I really don't feel like going home._

I wandered around some more before finally finding the apartment that was listed as the address. "Yurameshi" was written on the plaque by the door. _Yep, I'm in the right place. Now hopefully he's home._

I knocked on the door and a woman with long brown hair answered. "What do you want kid?" Her words slur. "Does Yusuke Urameshi live here?" I asked. "Yeah? What of it? He in some kinda trouble?"

 _This must be Yusuke's mom; he has her eyes._ "No, no trouble." I say quickly, wanting to end the conversation fast. "I was just in the neighborhood and thought I would drop by. But since he's not here, I'll just get out of your hair." I turn to leave but Yusuke's mom kept talking. "Oh? He's staying over at the Kuwabara's. Damn, I could have sworn he was going out with Keiko." With that, she shut the door.

I hurried to a nearby phone booth and found the phone-book. Luckily, there was only one Kuwabara residence within Sarayashiki.


	8. Chapter 8

_~In an Unknown Location~_

 _"Zearin"_

 _"Yes my Queen"_

 _"Have you destroyed the princess?"_

 _"Not yet, but – -"_

 _"After Komuri failed, I had expected you would do better. Do not fail me again."_

 _"My Queen, it was I who brought her here the first time, allowing you to sew your seeds of darkness and doubt within her"_

 _"Zearin, you know that the girl's negative energy has already started to be collected and that is going quite well. You will not argue with me Zearin. As your queen, you will show me the respect I deserve or it will be you who is destroyed."_

 _"Yes My Queen."_

 _"Destroy the princess and bring her crystal to me. I need morepower to feed our glorious Empress. You want her to be revived, don't you?"_

 _"Yes My Queen"_

 _"Good. That girl is our key; our source of power."_

* * *

After a lot of wrong turns, I was still completely lost. The sun had set, the streetlights had come on and I was walking alone along a dark path that ran along the river. The walk was giving me time to collect my thoughts and calm down. _Should I just go home? Usagi is going to be so upset with me. What about the girls?_ My thoughts and the chill of the evening were all that I could notice.

The hair on the back of my neck raised moments before someone grabbed my arm. "Hey!" I yelled in surprise. I tried to see who or what had grabbed me, but they were hidden by shadows cast by the trees that lined the path. "You'll answer me when I talk to you," the voice was a male and aggressive. I attempted to strike out at him, but his arms snaked around me and pinned my arms to my side. I wiggled, trying anything to get away, but all that did was make his grip tighter. _I need to find a way_ _to get to my necklace and transform. I'm a sitting duck right now!_

"What's a pretty girl like you doing out at this late hour," he leered at me, making my skin crawl. "What's a creep like you doing hiding in shadows." I spit back at him. I could feel the anger rolling off of him before he grabbed me by the chin. "Look here bitch." He swung me around and hit me square in the jaw. I crumpled to the ground. Before I could get by bearings, he had yanked me up again. Blood trickled from the corner of my mouth. "You keep your smart mouth shut and I won't have to hurt you, got it?" He pulled me close to him, close enough to where I could see more features in the dim light.

His eyes glowed red, his nose was hooked and his lips were thin. A dark suit hung off his thin frame, hiding his true strength. Little horns rose from his temples. My eyes went wide as it suddenly dawned on me. _He's not human, but what does that make him?_ I continued to struggle. "Let go of me," The man dug his nails into my arm, drawing blood. "Oh no, little girl." he hissed. "Not until I get revenge for what you did to my partner. Komuri. You remember him right? Bat wings, fangs, the like. He was weak, but let me assure you. You won't be so lucky this time."

"It would be wise to release the girl." a smooth voice sounded from farther down the path. "I believe she asked you to let her go." A boy with long red hair stood nearby, his green eyes sparkling from the streetlight he was standing under. "This is none of your business." the demon man growled.

The sound of more footsteps approached. The demon holding me jerked me in front of him, one arm around my waist and another at my neck. I could feel the pressure of his nails on my throat. "Kurama," the source of the footsteps wheezed. "Why didn't you wait for me?" "Because Kuwabara, there wasn't time." Kurama pointed to me. "As you can see."

Kuwabara got into a fighting stance. "My name is Kazuma Kuwabara and I'm the toughest kid at Sarayashiki Jr High." The demon sighed, already bored with the boy. "I didn't ask for your name, just go away." Kuwabara charged, winding his arm back for a hit. The demon dodged to the side. All of a sudden, my view changed.

I was ripped from the arms of the demon and went flying. I landed hard on the ground nearby, knocking my breath for me. For a second I thought I saw a vine with thorns wrapped around the demon's ankle, but I blinked and it was gone. The demon hissed again and retreated. _How did he know about the bat creature?_ I stared where the new demon had just been.

The red-haired boy knelt near me and held out his hand. "Are you alright?" he asked gently. I took his his hand and stood up. _No, I just got my ass handed to me._ "Yes, I think so." I tried to smile, but my jaw and cheek hurt from where I had been hit. The boy caught me wincing. "Kuwabara, do you still have the first aid kit at your house?" "Uh. Yeah, from where we patched up Urameshi." The boy in the light blue jumpsuit came over and bowed before grinning exuberantly. "My name is Kazuma Kuwabara. It's so nice to meet a lovely girl like you." I swear I saw hearts radiating from his eyes. The red-haired boy ignored Kuwabara's antics. "I'm Shuichi Minamino. What were you doing out here by yourself?" I flushed under his gaze. "I'm Yume Nijino. Thank you guys for saving me." _Even though I shouldn't have to be saved. "_ I was actually looking for your house." I pointed in the direction of Kuwabara. "I came out this way to see Yusuke. I heard he was with you." Kuwabara laughed nervously. "Yeah, he's there. But I'm not sure if you'll be able to talk to him." I tilted my head in confusion. "He's currently incapacitated." Shuichi started leading me towards Kuwabara's house. "We should get you patched up before continuing." I follow them and start trying to process what had happened. _I need to learn how to do close quarters fighting. Right now, I only know distance attacks. I'm going to get myself killed if that happens again. Maybe Grams can help get my skills where they need to be. Who am I kidding? Why would she take on a weakling like me?_

We arrived at Kuwabara's house with no more demon trouble, but a thunderstorm did start up. Luckily, we made it inside just in time. Kuwabara went back to his bedroom to see if Yusuke was awake and Shuichi went to get the first aid kit from the kitchen. I could see my reflection in a mirror hanging near the front door. A pale girl with big, sad eyes looking back at me. I saw the claw marks on my neck and arms. I had a huge bruise on my jaw, blood trickled from my ear and my mouth; I looked pitiful. Quietly chuckling, I shook my head at myself. Shuichi brought over the first aid kit, removing bandages, tape, and ointment. "What are you laughing at?" He was curious. "Nothing really," I sighed. "I just look terrible. It's been a terrible week, so if fate is laughing at me, why not laugh at myself?" _I have finally cracked. I have finally cracked._ I toyed with the end of my braid, distracted.

I flinch, noticing Shuichi getting closer to me. "I'm not going to hurt you." He spoke softly. "I'm just trying to fix up these wounds." "I can get it, I just need the mirror to see." I got up to grab some bandages, but he was faster than me. "Let me. You need a chance to catch your breath after what happened." He talked to me as he worked. Asking me questions about myself, talking some about his mom and about plants. "What sort of clubs do you do?" He asked, placing some rubbing alcohol on my arm. "I was in the book club at my old school, but I start Meiou on Monday." Shuichi smiled. "What a coincidence, I go there as well. Maybe I'll see you in class." "Maybe." _One can hope._

"I'll watch Yusuke if you guys have things you need to get done." I offered. The boys looked skeptically between each other. "Nah, He'll be fine on his own." Kuwabara shrugged me off. "Oh! I know! While you're waiting, I'll go get snacks and we can play some games!" He waggled his eyebrows at me, trying hard to flirt. I just sat there awkwardly. "Sure, that would be great Kuwabara."

Kuwabara left out into the storm, leaving me alone with Shuichi once again. Kuwabara's sister was out at her job and Yusuke was still completely out. Shuichi hung around awkwardly until I feigned falling asleep. He covered me with a blanket and I could hear rustling followed by the turning of pages, signaling he had found a book to read.

Some time later, Kuwabara came rushing through the door. "I'm back!" He yelled. Shuichi immediately shushed him. "Oh, she fell asleep?" Kuwabara lowered his voice as to not disturb my 'sleeping'. "I guess I can ask you now," he dragged a chair over, sitting somewhere nearby. "What is your reading of her?" "Well," Shuichi started. "She seems normal. Just a normal school girl, except, there is some sort of poison within her. It's not made from any chemicals that I'm familiar with, so I'll have to do a bit more research." "Poison? Then how come she's not dead yet?" Kuwabara asked. "I'm not sure." Shuichi remarked. He was about to say something more, when there was a knock at the door. I stood up and stretched. Kuwabara opened the door to a very grouchy Usagi. "Usagi!" I exlaimed. "You shouldn't be out in a night like this!" Usagi and Chibi-usa both hate thunderstorms, they are scared of them. "It's cold, I'm wet and you are in big trouble young lady." She was trying to sound so grown up, but I couldn't help it; I started laughing. I tried to hide it behind my hand. "Don't you laugh at me!" She yelled. "Young lady!" I finished. It got her to crack a smile too. The boys looked at us like we had lost our minds. "I need more practice, don't I?" Usagi asked. "Yes," I smiled. "But you've got time."

Before heading out the door, I bowed to Kuwabara and Shuichi. "Thank you for saving me and for fixing me up. I'm sure I will be seeing you both soon enough." I looked up at Shuichi, who was watching me carefully. It was like he was trying to take in as much information as he could. "I'll see you at school on Monday then?" I ask. He nods and then we're out the door.


	9. Chapter 9

__In an Unknown Location_ _

" _Zearin"_

" _Yes my Queen"_

" _You have collected a lot of energy for me so far."_

" _Thank you my Queen"_

" _But it is still not enough."_

" _I-I-I can do better my Queen!"_

" _I know you can, that is why I am allowing you to remain alive. I shall instead be sending in the ultimate agent. You shall assist her in what ever way she needs you to. She will be able to achieve what you and Komuri have been unable to do. She will get me that crystal!"_

* * *

Usagi and I huddled together under her rabbit umbrella, the one she's had for forever. The streets were empty and the only noise was that of our footsteps and the rain. I was getting nervous with how quiet it was. Someone is going to jump out at us. I'm going to be as helpless as I was earlier. Usagi showed no signs of concern, so I tried to not let it get to me either.

"I may not always be the model person, but what you did today was pretty rotten." Usagi looked ahead as she talked to me. "I know," I replied, my head hung in shame. "I'm sorry that I was so..." "Like a teenager?" Usagi nudged me. I rolled my eyes at her. "It's okay to be upset, but please try to not take it out on us in the future?" She wrapped her arm around my shoulder.

When we got home, I contacted Koenma. "I'll do it, I'll join Team Urameshi," I could see Koenma jumping up and down in excitement. "But on one condition." Koenma stopped. "Depends on what it is," he said, his binkey wiggling as he spoke. He stared me down. I squirmed under his gaze. "Oh don't look at me like that," I scolded. "My request is a small one. I want to be able to continue my patrols and I want to be allowed to go out on my own; no questions asked." Koenma took a moment to conciser my request. His hand rested on his chin and I held my breath. What am I going to do if he doesn't accept? He wrote something down on a piece of paper before looking back at me. "I guess that will be okay. Alright. You'll meet the team next Friday after school." Before I could thank him, he hung up, leaving a static-y screen on my end.

Monday morning, bright and early, I stood in front of the mirror. I looked at myself up and down. The Meiou uniform was a lot different than Juuban's. Meiou's was pink, with a military-style top and black stockings; no more sailor-style uniform for me. "Yume!" Usagi called from the bottom of the stairs. "You better hurry up or you're going to be late for your first day!" I eyed myself a little longer before replying, "I'm coming, I'm coming!" I smiled. I could recall all the stories her mom told me about her being late for school. After I pulled my hair into a braid and grabbed my bag from my bed, I dashed downstairs and out the door. Just before getting to the gate, I slid to a stop and ran back inside. Usagi laughed from her spot on the couch, "Your lunch is on the table." I grabbed my lunch and made it to the train station just in time.

"Nijino, Nijino. Ah here we are!" The secretary pulled my schedule out of a folder. "Here is your schedule. You'll report to room 1-B. Oh! You got Mrs. Yamamoto, she's great! And your elective for this term is home economics and what's this. You don't have a club picked out?" I shifted from one foot to the other, uncomfortable with being singled out. "Yes, I've been given a week to look in on the different clubs and make my choice then." I took the schedule from her hand and glanced at the clock. I had 5 more minutes to find my classroom and get settled before the day was to begin.

"Ms. Nijino, wait." the secretary stopped me from turning around. "Let me find someone to show you around." I tried to tell her I would be fine with just some directions, but she didn't hear me. "Mr. Minamino!" She raised her voice. I turned to see no other than the boy I had met the other night. She beckoned to him and he approached. "Would you mind showing her around the school? You have the same homeroom afterall." "I don't mind at all." he smiled warmly at me. I gave a short bow of thanks to the secretary and to him. After taking a look at my schedule, he decided we would take the long way so he could show me where some of my other classes would be.

"Did Yusuke ever wake up?" I was trying to make conversation as we moved through the halls. I couldn't help noticing all of the eyes following us and it made me more nervous. Shuichi nodded. "The next afternoon actually." I smiled. "What a relief." He either didn't notice all the looks or was just ignoring them. The closer we got to the classroom, the more people started to call greetings to him. He'd just nod in return. "You sure know a lot of people," I commented. "Yes, well, it is a small school." He was calmly trying to put me at ease. "You'll know more of our classmates in time."

We entered the classroom and I went straight to the teacher. "Hello, my name is Yume Nijino and I'm your new student." She looked up from her papers, brown eyes blinking as she focused on me. "Oh. Oh!" She jumped up. "Sorry, this is a bit of a surprise. They forgot to tell me I was getting another new student. I'm Mrs. Yamamoto, teacher for class 1-B," her voice was small and timid. Overall, She seemed very disheveled. Her light-brown hair was frizzy, working hard to escape its ponytail. Mrs. Yamamoto wore a sweater that was a few sizes too big; she looked like she was swimming in it. Is she always like this? "Uh. You can sit in front of Shuichi. Ask him or your neighbor, Mei if you have any questions." She pushed her glasses back up her nose before pointing towards the row of desks that were closest to the window.

I spent the class period absorbing everything I could; from the information on the board to the way Mrs. Yamamoto taught. She was very scatterbrained and flighty. One minute she would be talking about one thing then she would go on a wild tangent for at least 5 minutes only to start second guessing herself. By lunchtime, she seemed to be at her wits end.

As soon as the bell rang, she left the classroom. I turned around to face Shuichi. "Where is she going?" "Teachers Lounge," He said. "She won't return until after lunch." Everyone split off into different groups and moved their desks together. I looked back to Shuichi but he too was gone. I shrugged and grabbed my lunch.

I located the roof access and stepped out into the fresh air. I breathed in and instantly felt better. I found a ledge and set up my lunch. I instantly started to get worried. I shouldn't be out on my own. I'll get attacked again. My ears perked up as I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. I jumped to my feet and got into a defensive stance. "Yume?" A familiar voice called. I straightened just before a petite girl poked her head around the corner. "You ran off before I could invite you to sit with us." her curls bounced as she spoke. "Sorry Mei," I appologized. "I figured you wouldn't want me sitting with you guys today; you just met me." Mei ran out onto the roof and grabbed my hand, pulling me back towards the classroom. "Nonsense. We'll like you until you give us a reason not to."

The class got the desks moved back before the bell rand again. We were all seated and quiet, but there was something missing; hadn't returned. The class waited five minutes before the whispering started. All the other students were thinking up reasons why she wasn't coming back. "Maybe we'll get to go home for the day," one student thought out loud.

The classroom door slid open and in stepped a woman. She looked like a well put together version of Mrs. Yamamoto. Her hair was now pulled back into a sever bun, her clothes were stylish, and her glasses were gone. She exuded confidence. "Mrs. Yamamoto," one of the girls asked timidly. Mrs. Yamamoto locked eyes with the girl. "You are to be quiet until you are spoken to." She snapped. Everyone in the classroom immediately froze. "In your seats now class," Her tone was harsh. "I've decided to make some changes." She continued, once everyone was quiet and facing forward in their seats. "For the rest of the afternoon, we will sit in quiet study." Mrs. Yamamoto handed out new textbooks.

I sat, staring at this ancient textbook. What subject is this anyways? Is this a story or history?

"In the year of our queen, 403, the kingdoms of the Moon, Earth, Rainbow, Stars and Galaxy united against the one, true kingdom of the Shadow"

"In the year of our queen, 427, the Rainbow, Stars, and Galaxy kingdoms fell to the might of the Shadow Kingdom"

"In the year of our queen, 450, the Moon kingdom turned the Earth Kingdom away from the Shadow kingdom and its queen."

"In the year of our queen, 453, the great queen lost the love of her life; the Moon and Earth kingdoms wiped the other out."

My eyes widened. Even though names of the rulers weren't used, I came to realize the textbook was talking about Princess Serenity and Prince Endymion. I frowned at the pages. In the year of our queen? What queen? Which kingdom? "One true kingdom. That is a bias; this must have been written by the Shadow Kingdom. My heart started to beat wildly. Why has my teacher given us this to study?

I continued to study as much as I could before the final bell rang. Mrs. Yamamoto rose and calmly walked out of the classroom without so much as a dismissal for us. Everyone packed up their things and trickled out without a word, everyone was too scared to speak. Soon it was only Shuichi and I left in the classroom. I had shut the textbook, but I stared at the cover. I jumped when Shuichi put his hand on my shoulder. "Is everything okay," he asked. I shook my head. "I'm fine. Just a little startled I guess. She was kind of intense after lunch." But I wasn't fine; I was freaked out and needed to talk to the girls about what had happened.

Shuichi bid me farewell and went on without me, which gave me the opportunity to pull out my communicator.

"Emergency Meeting. 1 hour. Usagi's house. Ami, find out anything you can on the Shadow Kindgom"

Once everyone had arrived, I started the meeting. "Something strange happened at school today." I put my weird textbook on the table for everyone to read. "This is the source." Ami took it first, skimming and then passed it to Motoko. It went around the table as I continued to speak. "This textbook was given to me by my teacher, who had just started acting strange herself." I told them of my findings before asking Ami what she had found out.

"The Shadow kingdom existed at the same time as the Moon kingdom. It was lead by Queen Senka. Queen Senka is known for her abilities with telekinesis and mind control. During a gathering of representatives from all of the kingdoms, it is said she tried to control Princess Serenity. After that, she was banished and started a war against everyone else. And then we all know what happened from there. The kingdoms collapsed, one after another until the Moon and Earth kingdoms destroyed each other. After that, no one knows what became of the Shadow kingdom, the Stars kingdom and the Galaxy kingdom."

"What about the Rainbow kingdom," I questioned. "And are you saying this Shadow kingdom isn't the same as the Dark kingdom?" Amy shook her head. "No. The Dark kingdom was the one ruled by Queen Metaria. And as for the Rainbow kingdom." She looked over to Usagi who gave a short nod. "They were not completely destroyed. As they neared their collapse, they sent their heir to their ally, the moon kingdom." "That heir would be you Yume. Or a past version of you," Usagi interupted. I stared at them in shock before smacking my forehead with the palm of my hand. Duh, it's in my name! "Wouldn't that make me.." "A princess." Rei interjected. As the shock wore off, I shrugged. "It doesn't really change anything does it? I mean, I'm still going to have to do the dishes and do my homework." Minako stood up. "It does change how much of a target you are though, if the baddies were ever to find out. So we have to keep it on the extreme down low, okay?"


	10. Chapter 10

The rest of the week continued in a cycle of class by day and fighting evil by moonlight. There were monsters appearing all over the city. I would fight one off for an hour or so, retreating before I could finish them off. After a few seconds, Luna would alert me to another creature on the other side of the city. Each night it got worse; I stayed out later and later until Thursday night's patrol carried over into Friday. I stopped by the house just long enough to change into a fresh uniform and grab my schoolbag. I headed off for my train with the first few rays of the sunrise turning the sky a beautiful shade of purple.

I tried to drag my feet some, I even stopped by the convenience store to buy a coffee, but I still arrived at school a few hour early. Trying the door handles, I found them unlocked. I didn't think anything of it as I entered the dead quiet building. _I really should just get some studying in_. It was odd, almost erie, being in the school when no one was around. _Isn't this the point where a monster jumps out at me?_ I was too tired to be truly terrified by that thought. I started turning on lights as I went along.

The door to the classroom slid open smoothly. I tip-toed between rows of empty desks, standing like tombstones. I sat down and pulled out my textbooks to write notes. I picked history to start with and got to writing. _King Henry VIII ruled England from 1502 until his death in 1547. He was succeeded by his son, Edward IV._ I continued learning about a tumultuous royal line that was not my own. Mrs. Yamamoto spent most of our classes with her going over the history of the Shadow kingdom. _It's so strange, why all this focus? Who is she? Even Shuichi is finding this change in her strange._ I felt comfortable thinking of Shuichi as a friend; we'd been talking a lot over this past week. He was the one to show me around and help me get caught up on everything I had missed from the beginning of term. Everyone in class was nice, but he seemed different somehow. I shook my head and got back to work, combing through two more chapters before I heard someone giving a slight cough.

"Shuichi!" I looked up, surprised to find him standing in the doorway. "Good morning Yume," he greeted me. "You're here quite early." "Yeah," I gave a tired smirk. "Objects in motion tend to stay in motion and all that. What are you doing here?" Shuichi gave a small laugh at my terrible physics joke. I took a glance at the clock; there was still well over an hour and a half to go before the school day started. "I was asked to prepare some things for today's science classes. Would you like to help?" I nodded and followed him to the science workroom.

"How is your garden doing," I asked, shuffling around the room, looking for the Bunsen burners. Shuichi chatted with me without looking up from his lab sheets. "It's doing well. I've gotten the Calendulas and the Zinnias planted. I plan on trying Snapdragons this season as well." I smiled as I brought the items for the day's lab over to the front table. "Those will look nice once in bloom. Are you going to do an edible garden too or just the flowers?" He blinked and looked up at me. Before he could answer I held up my hands and panicked. "Ah, just ignore me. I know I talk to much sometimes." I flushed beet red and turned away. _I'm being too nosy. It'll annoy him._ Another voice rang out inside my head, " _He'll hate you. He'll leave you just like the others."_ I froze in my tracks. All of a sudden, exhaustion over-took me and I crumpled to the floor.

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -Shuichi's Point of View- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a change come over Yume. In a split second, I was at her side, cradling her as she collapsed. "Yume," I checked to see if she was okay. _Breathing is normal, pulse is normal, her life energy is…!_ My eyes widened in surprise. Her energy was nearly gone. _Why did I not notice this before?_ I thought back through the week as I reached for my bag. Nothing, there were no signs of her life energy being depleted. I jerked the bag, bringing it closer to me. I found what I was looking for; a demonic seed that worked as a temporary energy boost. _This will have to do until she can regenerate her lost energy._

I tipped her head back and slipped it between her lips. Gently massaging her throat allowed her to swallow while being unconscious. I held my hands a few inches above her torso, infusing my spirit energy into her and into the seed. _I'm not going to let her be another Maya!_ Color soon began to return to her cheeks and I breathed a sigh of relief. "Yume? Can you hear me?"

\- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - End POV - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I was cold. I couldn't get warm. I could hear someone calling my name but I couldn't tell where it was coming from. I just sort of drifted for a while. "You can't keep running forever." A voice surrounded me.

This strange woman stood before me. She had Long green hair and a full gown colored chocolate brown and light faun. "Who are you?" I asked, my voice sluggish and airy. "Why," She paused. "I am a fairy godmother and I'm here to make dreams come true." A faint light made something on the woman shimmer. Something seemed off.

"Let me tell you a story dear," She motioned for me to come forward. My body moved on its own, until I was at her side. She waived her hands in front of us, causing paintings of her story to appear as she talked.

"A long time ago, there was this Princess. She was the most beautiful woman in the land. She was content to stay on her little planet and play with her little servants. Once she was old enough, she ventured out on a worlds tour. She traveled from kingdom to kingdom to satisfy the wish her mother held for her. Her mother wanted to unite their kingdoms with one of the others through an unbreakable union. During the tour, she ran into the young man. He was dashing and kind; a real prince charming. His name was Akio. He was my night in shining armor and the princess loved him more than she had loved anything in her life. They spent every day together; he showed her his world, they dined together, but it was not to last. On the last day of her trip, Akio broke the heart of the little princess. "My princess is in another kingdom," He informed the little princess that he was betrothed to another. The princess grew angry; not at Akio, but at the little tramp that stole him. The princess pleaded with Akio to have her instead. But he wouldn't take her for his true bride. The little princess lived out the rest of her life trying to gain the affection of her Prince Akio. Tragedy struck once they were both rulers of their own kingdoms. Prince Akio grew up to be King and had his family. The little princess was not so little anymore. She was not content to be confined to her little world and decided she wanted it all."

"Well, the King died and the little princess was distraught for the rest of her days. So to make herself feel better, she decided she would try to make others dreams come true. That includes you." "And what dreams would that be?" I probed. A devilish smirk broke out on her face. I backed away from her. "You've done so well, you deserve to be rewarded. Don't you want to be reunited with your parents?" An image of a man and woman appeared behind her. _They look familiar. Like me._ The man had the same plum hair, but his was in a ponytail, while the woman with gorgeous gray eyes moved around in ways that I could only dream of; graceful, elegant. I looked back at the fairy godmother. I was starting to feel warm again, such an odd sensation. I was being warmed from the inside out. "All you have to do is," The woman lunged. "DIE!" Her nails glinted from an unknown light source. I screamed.

My eyes flew open, but I kept screaming. Shuichi pulled far enough away to look me in the eyes. "You're okay," he tried soothing me with words. I screamed until I was gasping for air. "You collapsed in the Science Lab, but you're fine now." I slumped against him, not daring to move. I could still see that woman coming at me.

I felt my body shifting and I looked down to see that Shuichi had lifted me into his arms. "Where are we going?" I whispered. "I'm taking you to the nurse's office. It's no use having you lying on the ground when there are perfectly good cots nearby." I just nodded and stared blankly in front of me. "Yume? Your energy was really low, but you'll be okay now. You just have to rest." His voice was soft, but it rang with authority and absolute knowledge on the matter. I sighed. "I can't spend all day there though, We've got class to get to." He didn't try to argue with me, he just kept walking.

We made it to the Nurse's office just as she was unlocking the door. Shuichi laid me down on a cot while she checked my vitals. Everything was normal. "You're still quite pale and you've got bags under your eyes." "She observed. "How much sleep have you been getting?" I didn't respond. The nurse sighed in annoyance. "I guess we'll just have to send you home. You're not prepared for the day." I leapt up and put my hands on my hips. "That is really not necessary. I will be fine." The nurse rolled her eyes. "Shuichi, Would you mind escorting her home?" I balked at the idea. "He's got his own classes and grades to worry about. No way. I'm not going anywhere and he is definitely not going anywhere."

The nurse just waived and turned back to her desk. "It's not going to take more that a half an hour to drop you off at home. He'll miss homeroom and that's it." My eyebrows raised in furious surprise. "Um, no." I said sharply. "It takes at least and hour one way. He would miss most of the morning. And that is not counting trying to navigate the trains during rush hour. It could potentially take us much longer." "Yume," Shuichi spoke up. "I will take you home. You need your rest." A defeated sigh escaped my lips.

The morning sun had started to burn off the night chill that comes with springtime. I shrugged off my outer jacket to compensate for the rise in temperature. On our way to the station, we passed by most of our classmates, but we didn't stop to chat. I could see the stares they were giving me. "Why are they going away from school?" One girl whispered to her group of friends. "Where are they going?" "I bet they're going to hook up." One guy said. "I bet she got kicked out and it was something so bad he's having to take her out of the city." I could hear someone else chime in. I was too tired to set them straight, so I just worked to keep up with Shuichi.

"Yume?" Shuichi finally broke the silence once we reached the train station. I just looked blankly at him. I had used up most of my new energy being snarky with the nurse. "Where do we need to go." _And I forgot to let him know where we're going._ "Juuban. But I can handle it from here." He shook his head. "You're still too weak to be on your own. I'm here in case you faint again." I paled at the thought of being back in that nightmare-land while on public transportation. I looked down at the ground. "Thank you." He gave a small smile. "Allow me to go get my ticket."


End file.
